How to Build a Marble Roller Coaster

Design a custom marble roller coaster using these materials and enjoy the twists and turns as you set the marble flying!

Instructions

Step 1: Pick a place Pick a place to set up the project that will let you modify it without any problems, and will be out of the way of foot traffic.

Step 2: Make the track Make the track. Different coasters are made out of different materials. Plastic tubing, metal wire, copper tubing, chicken wire, and foam pipe insulation are common track materials.

TIP: Buy a marble roller coaster set that comes with a track so you don't have to make the track yourself.

Step 3: Support Hold up the coaster with vertical supports. Spread your supports out to keep the coaster open, but make sure they are close enough together to hold up the weight of the track.

Step 4: Set the beginning of the coaster the highest Set the start of the coaster as the highest point of the track. The start is where the marble gains momentum to travel the whole track.

Step 5: Attach the track Attach the track to the support beams by welding, soldering, or gluing with a hot glue gun.

TIP: Always use caution when welding, soldering, or using a hot glue gun.

Step 6: Add declines Add different declines to your roller coaster. Be careful of having too many steep declines as it can cause the marble to go so fast that it flies off the track.

Step 7: Loop the track Bend the track to create loops and corkscrews. Experiment with the marble to see what size and shape loops work best.

Step 8: Drop the marble Drop the marble into the roller coaster and have fun watching it whiz down the track and loop the loops.

FACT: The force you feel pushing against your body when a roller coaster goes through a curve, usually called centrifugal force, is not actually a force. It is your body's resistance to the train's change in direction.